Shloka 7
Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
तस्मिन् वक्षे तथाभूते कोटरेषु चिरोषित: । न जहाति शुको वासं तस्य भक्त्या वनस्पते:
tasmin vakṣe tathābhūte koṭareṣu ciroṣitaḥ | na jahāti śuko vāsaṃ tasya bhaktyā vanaspateḥ ||
বৃক্ষটি এমন অবস্থায় পৌঁছালেও, তার কোটরে বহুদিন ধরে বাস করা টিয়াটি নিজের বাসস্থান ত্যাগ করল না। সেই বনস্পতির প্রতি ভক্তি ও অনুরাগে, গাছটি শুকিয়ে গেলেও সে সেখানেই রইল।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic gratitude and loyalty: one should not abandon a benefactor or refuge merely because it has fallen into hardship. True bhakti/affection is tested when the object of support becomes weak.
Bhishma describes a parrot that has lived for a long time in the hollows of a tree. Even after the tree becomes withered or damaged, the parrot refuses to leave, staying out of devotion and attachment to the tree that sheltered it.